A collapsed driveway in Malibu grew into a neighborhood emergency as coastal weather, erosion and damaged access forced residents away from dozens of homes.
The city declared a local emergency after a sinkhole near Sea Level Drive expanded to approximately 30 by 60 feet and 25 to 30 feet deep, according to local officials and reporting published September 9.
The collapse began near a beachfront property reportedly owned by actor Nicolas Cage. Property records and prior reporting identify Cage as the purchaser in 2024, but his representatives did not immediately comment. His celebrity explains the national attention; the public-safety impact reaches the wider neighborhood.
Officials ordered evacuations affecting 31 properties. Seven homes were red-tagged because of hazardous conditions, while 24 more lost safe vehicle access. The remaining roadway was considered too narrow for large emergency vehicles.
The first collapse also caused a gas leak. SoCalGas shut service along part of the street while crews assessed the unstable ground. Authorities warned that water service could also be affected.
No deaths or injuries were reported in the reviewed sources. That fact should remain central as dramatic images of the hole circulate online.
The incident followed high surf, rain and coastal-flood conditions connected to Marie, which weakened after reaching hurricane strength offshore. Those conditions may have contributed to erosion, but officials had not published a final engineering determination of the sinkhole’s cause.
Malibu’s geography makes access especially fragile. Homes sit between steep terrain, the Pacific Ocean and narrow roads. When one private road fails, residents can lose more than a driveway; ambulances, fire engines and utility equipment may be unable to reach the area.
The city and engineers must now determine whether the ground can be stabilized, when utilities can safely return and whether residents can retrieve belongings or reoccupy homes.
The event also illustrates the growing cost of coastal risk. Expensive property does not eliminate exposure to waves, drainage failures, landslides or erosion. Insurance, engineering and public infrastructure become part of the real price of living beside the ocean.
It would be premature to present one sinkhole as proof of a single climate cause. It is fair to say that higher seas and more damaging coastal extremes can intensify existing vulnerabilities over time.
For now, the story is an emergency-management problem: protect residents, preserve access and avoid rushing into unstable ground for a photograph.
